For travelers stumped on where to spend the cold winter months, Gangwon Province offers a range of winter activities.

As Korea’s most heavily snowed area, Gangwon Province ― host of the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympic Games ― is among the most popular winter destinations for locals, boasting a number of world-class ski resorts as well the country’s best-known winter festivals, including the Pyeongchang Trout Festival, the Hwacheon Sancheon-eo Ice Festival, the Mt. Taebaek Snow Festival and the Inje Icefish Festival. However, for those without a vehicle, travel to these destinations can be quite an expensive hassle, especially for international travelers or residents.

With the objective of encouraging more practical travel to the province, the Korea Tourism Organization in cooperation with Gangwon Province has established a new shuttle bus system exclusively for foreign travelers and foreign residents in Korea.

“The number of foreigners living in Korea has reached about 1 million,” said Gangwon Province Gov. Choi Moon-soon at a luncheon in Seoul introducing the newly developed Gangwon winter shuttle bus system for foreigners.

“You can find fresh air and the clean East Sea just by traveling one or two hours from the Seoul metropolitan area,” he added.

With Gangwon boasting a wide variety of natural attractions including vast mountain ranges, clear beaches and lush valleys, Choi stated that the province is “living up to its reputation as the best tourist destination in Korea.”

One of Gangwon Province’s most popular winter festivities is the annual Pyeongchang Trout Festival. Trout farming first started in Pyeongchang because its frigid climate and clear waters makes it an ideal location for raising trout. The festival allows visitors can enjoy a variety of fun, unique winter activities such as four-wheel ATV riding, ice sledding, snow rafting and, yes, even ice biking. But the festival’s main attraction, needless to say, is the trout fishing.

Participants are given the opportunity to go trout fishing on a 25,000-square-meter frozen body of water using lines and fish hooks.

Fishers can set up a tent on the ice where they can fish through holes that have been drilled through to the water below; any trout that is caught can be prepared at nearby restaurants and made ready to eat on the spot.

The daily shuttle bus service from Seoul to the four Gangwon Province winter festivals will begin on Dec. 20, with dates and times coinciding with each festival’s schedule. Round-trip fare is 10,000 won. For more information on reservations and scheduling, visit www.gogangwon.com.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)